Infinite Dawn
by Flamist.Rika
Summary: Its been 5 years since the Pharaoh was laid to rest and the Millennium Items vanished with his crumbling tomb. In the wake of their absence one thing has been left behind; A silvery-blonde haired and lavender-eyed girl named Marcella. However, Marcella and her mother Shilo are doing a pretty good job so far moving on- until things begin to change. (Sequel to Eternal Night)
1. Chapter 1

Infinite Dawn

(Sequel to Eternal Night)

Chapter 1

"Marci?" A woman called from down the hall from the bathroom, as a little girl stood on a stepping-stool in the bathroom and put on her hat to match her clothes. "Honey, come on, we gotta go!" The girl got down from the stepping stool and hurried down the hallway to her mother, "There you are, honey! Come on, let's get you to preschool, my love, so I can go to work. We're late today!" The girl smiled at her mother and grabbed her offered hand before they left the house and ran to the train station under the protection of an umbrella.

"Mommy, come on, let's go!" The girl squeezed and pulled her mother along as the woman laughed when they got onto the train car just before the doors shut. "We made it!"

"Yep! Let's grab a seat, Marcella." Her mother said, and lead her to a pair of seats nets to the window. But instead of taking her own seat, her daughter climbed into her lap to watch from the window as he mother smiled and held her. Her mother pulled out her phone and called ahead to the preschool, "Yes, hello, this is Marcella's mother, Shilo. Yes- Yes, we're on our way, I'm sorry, my car wouldn't start. OH- thank you so much! Ok, bye now." Marcella looked up at her mom and she smiled down at her, "Good news, they're willing to wait."

"Mommy, are you going to work today?" Marcella asked and her mother nodded, "Tomorrow, can you come and have lunch with me?" Her mother smiled,

"Absolutely, honey." Shilo answered and stared at her daughter a moment, moving some of her silvery-blonde hair out of her eyes, "Want me to do your hair, Marci?" The girl nodded excitedly and sat still as her mother pulled a flowery clip from her purse. She gently pulled the girl's long bangs from her face and clipped them back away from her eyes and face.

It had been 5 years, since the Pharaoh had been laid to rest and the Millenum Items were destroyed. The dark spirits within them, destroyed as well. Yami Bakura and Malik had vanished completely- a month before Shilo gave birth to Marcella, the child she had with Malik. It had been painful but Shilo had worked through it. When Malik vanished from her family's home in Romania, she moved back to Domino City with her daughter against her family's wishes.

Her family still owned the club and the game shop, but Shilo had chosen to live in the house that Malik had bought with the esteemed Seto Kaiba's money. Once the year Shilo had bought wore off, Seto allowed her to keep living in the house as long as she worked for him, which was fine. But he kept her frightfully busy once her daughter was able to attend preschool.

Outside the window, the train car passed a billboard with Shilo on it, advertizing a new fragrance, sponsored by the Kaiba Corporation. That was her job- she was the face for any product regarding a female clientele. Modeling new fragrances, advertizing new female-friendly dueling disks, announcing tournaments, and being present anytime there needed to be a "pretty face". She was on her feet a lot and had to travel as often as Seto wanted her to, but it was a good job and it covered the bills quite nicely. However, it meant Seto owned her as long as she lived in the house his money had paid for, which was something that was always looming over her. But what really bothered her? The interviewers- every reporter in Domino City wanted to know why she was working for Kaiba Corp. and why she was a single-mother who hadn't been seen with a man in 5 years other than Seto and a few friends.

"_Clock Tower Square Station, approaching."_

Marcella hopped down from her mother's lap and Shilo got up and held onto the railing and her umbrella with her left hand, holding her daughter's hand with her right as they waited by the doors for the train to slow to a stop. Shilo stared out the window before looking down at Marcella, whose lavender eyes caught her own and the girl beamed at her, "I hope I grow up to be as pretty as you, mommy!" Shilo smiled,

"You're beautiful just the way you are, sweetheart." Shilo told her before the doors opened and they crossed onto the station platform. They stopped just before the subway exit so Marcella could put her bright pink backpack on and her mother could open the umbrella for the both of them, before they held hands and ran out into the rain to the preschool.

A few minutes later, Shilo was waving to her little girl as she vanished inside while a black car pulled up behind her in the street. She didn't need to look back to know that it was a black sedan, "courtesy" of Kaiba Corp. She turned, however, to see herself reflected in the black glass as it was opened for her by a security guard. She got it and handed her umbrella to him as she did so, buckling up and crossed her legs. "Good morning, Seto."

"Morning." He said shortly before the car started driving off, "Where's your car?"

"The engine stalled." She answered, moving some of her hair behind her ear, "Your secretary didn't call and tell me what I'd be doing for the day." Shilo voiced and Seto scoffed,

"Of course she didn't. I fired her yesterday." Seto said simply and Shilo looked at him for an explanation, "It turns out, she'd been going around, moonlighting by selling 'facts' about you and some guy. It was bad for my image, so I fired her." He leaned back against the seat and added nonchalantly, "There wasn't a point to her anyways, I set up my own things and I set up everything for you to do." Shilo sighed and looked away, "There's an interview today and you'll be appearing at a new club with a dueling-atmosphere to show that it's supported and funded by me. And some charity thing." Shilo nodded,

"You could have texted me all of this-" She said and Seto scoffed again,

"You're on the clock until your daughter gets out of school." Seto told her sternly and Shilo looked out the window, waiting until they arrived at the office of a fashion magazine for Japan. She sighed and stepped under the umbrella held out for her before going into the building, Kaiba following her. The receptionist sent Shilo to one room and Kaiba to another and Shilo fixed her hair and put on some make-up for her interview with the editor-in-chief of the magazine. She smiled as she sat across from the woman,

"Hi, I'm Kasey Kuzo, and I'm here with the representative of Kaiba Corp.'s new department that's being geared towards women everywhere, Miss Shilo Rikazawa." The woman said into a camera which was then moved back to catch both women in the lens and television screen, "You look lovely as ever." Shilo laughed a bit,

"You're much too kind." Shilo answered professionally as the editor-in-chief went on,

"So tell me, are these rumors about you slipping away for a few dates with a mysterious man true? Your fans are dying to know!" The woman asked and Shilo shook her head,

"As adventurous as that sounds, I'm not. There's no men in my life like that." Shilo answered honestly, brushing her hand against her ring finger to cover it up, "Besides, my main focus right now is my daughter and my job."

"So, what's it like being the go-to model for anything feminine produced by Kaiba Corp?" The woman asked and Shilo smiled sweetly,

"It's a sign that Mr. Kaiba trusts me to show off his new merchandise and woman-friendly wear. It's good to know that the percentage of females interested in Kaiba Corp's products has increased, and we'd like to meet and supply the demands of our customers. And I think he likes to have a woman's opinion on some of these newer things. I have no problem modeling at all, because Mr. Kaiba has a unique sense of style and tastes that I believe all women can appreciate to the fullest, as everything offered so far has been tasteful and classy." Shilo answered and smiled, "I believe it's a good change of pace for the young ladies who are growing to be young women, to know that there's a line of clothing to help them transcend into womenhood easily." The editor awed at her answer before hesitating and asking,

"One last question, Ms. Rikazawa. Do you think you'll be ready to tell Japan who the biological father of your super adorable daughter, Marcella, any time soon?" The woman asked and Shilo took a deep breath and answered,

"You know, I get asked that so often. It's not a big secret or anything, he's just not in the picture." Shilo said and the woman ended the interview, thanked Shilo for her time, and Shilo left to regroup with Kaiba who impatiently waited in the lobby. They left and Kaiba mercilessly dragged her to all of his meetings and such and merged the charity event with the club opening because he was simply too tired to visit both. However, Shilo called ahead to make sure Ryou Bakura could pick her up from preschool and watch her until Kaiba decided to let her leave and go home.

"Put on that dress I picked out and get your makeup done before you even think about coming in!" Kaiba ordered as Shilo sat in the hair stylist's chair a few minutes after Kaiba told her that, while she did her make-up herself. After 20 minutes, Shilo left and rejoined Kaiba who opened the door for her and let her into the red-carpet opening of the club. As Kaiba talked, Shilo smiled charmingly as always, leaning close to the CEO (at his suggestion) for good pictures, before leaving to be caught in pictures with civilians and duelists alike. "How's it feel to be owned?" He asked her quietly as they both smiled and waved to photographers and eager fans alike. The thought sickened her but he added, "Your dress and hair look nice" Before pulling away.

Eventually, when the crowd vered away from her, Shilo made a quick exit, tired of the camera flashed and the high-heels. The rain has stopped by the time she got to Rou's house to pick up her daughter, "Thanks so much, Ryou, I'm so grateful for you helping me out with Marcella." She said and Marcella got her backpack and came to the door,

"Don't mention it. It must be tough, trying to raise her on your own." Ryou said and Shilo gave him a tired chuckle, "And I doubt Kaiba makes it any easier on you."

"No- he really doesn't seem to care at all." She quipped but picked up her daughter who yawned, "Come on, Marci, let's go home."

With that, Shilo and her daughter took the long and quiet train ride back to their house as Shilo turned her ringer off. When they got inside the house, she locked the door behind her and Marci as she turned her ringer back on to find a few missed calls and texts from Kaiba and a call from a familiar number- Marik Ishtar. She called him back instead of Kaiba, waiting for him to pick up as she took off her shoes. "Hey Marik, sorry, I turned my cell ringer off on the way home."

"_It's alright. I just wanted to call and check in with you." _Marik said on the other line. For the first few years, he'd helped her take care of Marcella when Malik vanished, but he'd gotten a promotion and had to go back overseas for the past two years. However, there were still many phone calls and a few video-chats a week between the three of them. "_I'm supposed to curate at the Domino City Museum next month for an exhibit on Ancient Egyptian History beside Ishizu. We'll be in town for a couple months." _Shilo smiled as she walked to her bedroom and started to take out her earrings and lay them on the dresser's top surface,

"That's great, congratulations! I'd love to see you two and Marci will be so excited." Shilo said as she went to the kitchen, opening the fridge- "Oh, hang on a second- Marci, what do you want for dinner, baby?"

"Lasagna, Mommy!" Marci called from the bathroom as she washed her hands on her stepping-stool. Shilo returned her attention to her phone call as she pulled out the tupperware from the night before and took off the lid. She put a napkin over it and put it in the microwave,

"Sorry about that. How was the archeological dig in Cairo? Get any good curses for that thesis paper of yours?" Shilo asked teasingly as she punched in numbers into the microwave's dial-face and it began to reheat the meal.

"_Only some superstitions- which was enough to get me an A+. I had no idea being an Ex-Tombkeeper could help me ace my college classes. Had I known sooner, I wouldn't have waited so long." _Marik answered and laughed as Shilo's gaze drifted to the window just above her kitchen, between both sides of it- to meet a pair of menacing purple eyes. She stiffened as he paused on the other line, "_Shilo? Shilo? You ok over there?"_

"Marik." She said quietly and followed it with, "There's someone outside my kitchen window." She said slowly as the pair of eyes blinked and continued to stare. "I'm beginning to regret leaving Kaiba's lame club-opening early."

"_Just stay calm. Your brothers didn't move, did they?" _Marik asked and Shilo said quietly,

"They went to America for a week for some business thing with my dad a couple days ago." She said and the eyes blinked, watching her, "Aside from them, there's Ryou and Kaiba who are closest."

"_I'm going to hang up and call Ryou. Just stay calm and call the police." _Marik told her and an incoming call chimed on her phone- Kaiba. Shilo switched over to it and stared at the eyes watching her as she put the phone to her ear,

"Kaiba, I'm sure you're mad, but there's someone outside my house." Shilo told him, the eyes watching suspiciously, "They're just staring at me from the kitchen window."

"_I was trying to tell you to NOT go home, damn it." _Kaiba hissed before concluding, "_Someone's been staking your place since you left the preschool. Go to the bathroom and stay there until I get there." _Kaiba said and disconnected. Shilo slowly lowered the phone from her ear and the pair of eyes followed the movement, then flickered back to her own and Shilo flinched as the microwave chimed to let her know the food was ready.

She just hoped someone would get there in time.


	2. Chapter 2

Infinite Dawn

Chapter 2

Shilo had shimmied into the hall and out of the view of the menacing purple eyes that had been watching her before she quickly went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Marcella looked up curiously and her mother smiled, "Marci, you ready for a bath?" Her mother asked as she began to tie up her hair into a sloppy bun and Marcella nodded happily, while her mother's eyes glanced at the two thin windows on the left wall and the back wall of the bathroom that lines them. The eyes had moved to the one above the tub and Shilo pursed her lips as they blinked.

"I'll get my toys from the toy box!" Marci said happily as her mother nodded and leaned over to the faucet of the tub and turned on the hot water after she plugged the drain, watching the eyes.

"You do that, baby. You know what? Why don't you get the soap markers too, we'll draw." Shilo said and stood up, listening as her daughter squealed with excitement and watching the the steam from the hot water began to slowly fog the glass. She could still see the eyes and she watched them as they moved to try and keep her in their line of vision before vanishing from her view. She sighed a little and unzipped her fancy dress as the tub started to fill up to a good amount. Marci had already thrown in three rubber ducks and a little toy boat into the water and was watching them float higher and higher. Shilo hung her dress up and slipped into nudity as she tossed her underwear into the dirty clothes basket before helping her daughter out of her clothes. As Shilo turned the water off her phone went off and started playing the song 'Got Your Money' by 'Ol Dirty Bastard'. The ringtone she had set for Kaiba that he wasn't too fond of. She picked it up and slid her thumb across the screen before balancing it expertly between her left shoulder and her left ear, "Yes Kaiba?" Shilo asked as she helped her daughter into the tub first.

"_Is that person still there?" _ He asked roughly and Shilo nodded,

"Yes. Marci and I are in the bathroom and I started up a bath to fog the windows. They followed me to the bathroom windows but-" Shilo looked up at the still fogged windows, trying to find the slightest hint of purple. "I don't see them anymore."

"_You shouldn't have fogged the windows." _Kaiba grunted as Shilo slipped into the bath herself, "_They might be looking for another way in."_

"I'm not just going to let someone watch me take a bath, Seto." Shilo stressed before pausing. Was that the sound of the front door's latch opening, that she just heard? "You're not here, are you?"

"_Not yet. Why?" _He questioned and Shilo listened intently, gently shushing her daughter for a moment by putting a finger to her lips.

The familiar but quiet creak of her front door's hinges was audible. And then the sound of the door behind shut quietly. "_Shilo?"_

"They're inside." She said and Marci looked up at her mother questioningly before Shilo began to play with the little toy boat to show her daughter it was all ok. "They opened the front door."

"_Don't leave that bathroom." _Kaiba ordered and hung up. Shilo set the phone down and focused on her daughter, as she handed the girl the sponge to clean herself off before dumping handfuls of water on her to rinse her off. Marci sat in her mother's lap as she pulled out the flower clip she had put in before she went to Preschool and set it aside.

"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up today, honey." Shlo said while she wet her daughters' hair and gently massaged shampoo into it. Marci closed her eyes before the water and before the shampoo was washed out, sitting obediently as her mother untied her own hair and dumped the bathwater over it.

"It's ok, mommy. Uncle Bakura says that you work a lot because your boss says so." Marci said and Shilo chuckled with a smile.

"Yes, that's how it goes, dear." She told her daughter as she warily watched the door while she shampooed her long hair and rinsed the shampoo out. Shilo stood up slowly to scrub herself down just as a shadow crossed and stopped from underneath the door. Someone was outside the door. She rinsed herself off and watched Marci play with her rubber ducks and her little boat, scribbling 'life points' twice on the bathtub wall. Her mother tied her hair back up after lathering it with conditioner and voiced, "What are you doing, Marci?"

"I'm dueling, Mommy." She said matter-of-factly and Shilo smiled, "I want to be a duelist when I grow up." Marci wrote lifepoints on the wall and said, "Go Little Duck, use Squeak!" She said enthusiastically and squeaked the duck at the same time as the door handle to the bathroom did and Shilo's head snapped up. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't been keeping on-top of practicing her martial arts and hadn't been to the gym nearly as much as she should have been.

The door moved a fraction before the latch caught against the frame and the doorknob turned back to it's resting position. The person on the other side must've realized that it was locked and pulled away to think of something new to do. Shilo rinsed the conditioner from her hair as she kept her eyes on the door but asked her daughter, "Whose winning, honey?"

"The Boat, mommy. But the underdog always wins!" Marci said as her mother got out of the tub and clipped her hair up before pulling on her bathrobe and tying it closed. "Mommy?" Her daughter asked as Shilo decided that if Seto was going to take so long, he'd have to take care of things herself. "Mommy, whose outside?"

"Someone not welcome, honey." Shilo said simply, "But don't worry. I'm here. No one's going to hurt you while I'm here." The shadow under the door moved and vanished to the left. "Come on, Marci, let's get out of the tub." She said and unplugged the drain, helping her daughter into the safety of a dry towel. Shilo helped her daughter into her pajamas then proceeded to tie her hair up from her neck.

"Mommy." Marci said and grabbed her robe, tugging on it, before the two looked at the door handle as it turned slowly again- and the lock on the back of the knock unlatched with a soft click. Shilo tensed and leaned down to her daughter,

"Go hide, honey." Shilo told her and Marcella went and hid in the corner, covering her ears and closing her eyes with a window as the door was pushed open slowly.

In the doorway, a black-clad figure stood, eyes downcast as if they had to focus every ounce of energy on pushing open the door. They wore a long-sleeved black shirt with black leather biker's gloves and the top of their shirt covered the beginning of a mask that rose up to cover half their face, up to their nose. It was a man, telling by the chest and stature of them, and her reached up his right hand and put it on the door frame to steady himself as he pushed the door open further but didn't move a foot inside the room. Black pants clad his lower half over heavy biker boots, various straps criss-crossing the pants with rivets to give off some type of punk-esque style. He pulled away from the door and lifted his eyes to meet Shilo's. At first she couldn't tell the color through his mussed hair, but when he moved his hand up and swept his bangs out of his eyes to get a better look, she tensed again. The same menacing purple eyes caught her own and she hesitated, eye-locked with the man.

Just when she thought that this night was her last, the man swiftly whirled around to face down the hallway before being slammed down the opposite end by two suited men. There was the sound of fighting as Kaiba rushed into the bathroom, bringing Shilo back to her senses enough to pick up her daughter. She fled from the house with Kaiba behind her, the mysterious figure catching a brief glimpse of her getting into his black sedan before he was slammed to the floor. "Shilo, look at me." Kaiba ordered and she numbly looked up at him, "Are you hurt?"

"N...No, I'm not. Marci is fine too." Shilo said after a minute, regaining her composure as the sedan sped off from her house. "The person- no, it was a man- he didn't touch me." Kaiba let out a relieved sigh, "Kaiba, he got inside…"

"Obviously." Kaiba voiced and Marci made a face at him, "Who has a key to your house?"

"You, Me, Ryou, Agard, and Marik." She said and he nodded,

"Could he have lifted the key off someone?" Kaiba asked and she shook her head.

"I don't think so. I had my key, you had yours- I saw Ryou earlier when I picked Marcella up from his house. He locked up after I got her...and Agard and Marik are both overseas right now." Shilo looked around and murmured, "My phone- Marik was supposed to call-"

"Explain everything to me, from the point when you left the party." Kaiba instructed and Shilo calmly explained as the car took them to Kaiba's condominium building, slipping into the underground parking effortlessly. When they parked, her story was done, and Kaiba opened his mouth before his own phone rang. "Excuse me." He said and answered it, Shilo passing Marci off to one of Kaiba's guards when they opened the car door for her, and they helped her out as Kaiba got out and slammed the door to the car behind him. Shilo fixed her bathrobe to cover herself more as Kaiba growled, "Well, find him!" Before ending the call and met Shilo's questioning gaze. "That guy who was in your house escaped." Kaiba said and Shilo frowned, "Roland, take her and the kid up to my penthouse and set them up for the night-"

"Kaiba, We can't-" Shilo started as Kaiba opened the back door before slamming it shut and glaring at her,

"You and your daughter are staying in my penthouse until this blows over. That's final." Kaiba hissed and opened the door, getting in the car as Shilo took a deep and agitated breath before opening the back driver's side door and looking at him,

"You're going to leave us to wear pajamas for our duration too?" She asked as she pulled her bathrobe closed modestly and Kaiba glanced at Marci's attire then her mother's, "Well?" Shilo asked sternly and Kaiba groaned,

"I'll grab your phone and some clothes. I _will_ call the penthouse phone, so make sure you _answer_." Kaiba said and the sedan pulled away from the parking spot, the movement shutting the back door firmly, before it drove off and out of the parking garage. Shilo took her daughter back from the security guard and sighed, letting them escort her to Kaiba's penthouse.

"I'm sorry, honey. Were you scared?" Shilo asked and Marci nodded her head into her mother's shoulder. "Me too." She said and rubbed her daughter's back as they stood in the elevator, "Do you think I could make a call out, Roland?" He nodded when they arrived at the penthouse. The guard allowed her and Marci to enter but the doors shut and locked afterwards as she set Marci on her feet, looking around.

"I'm hungry mommy." Marcella said quietly and Shilo smiled at her,

"Let's go look in the fridge and see if I could cook something." Her mother voiced and the two went to the fridge and actually found some food. Which was rare because Kaiba was the type of guy who ate out more than he ate in, but Shilo pulled out the things she needed to cook dinner and set them on the counter. Marci pulled herself onto the couch as Shilo picked up the cordless phone and dialed in a number she knew by heart while she picked up the remote for the television and turned it on for her daughter.

"_Hello?"_ Marik answered on the other line and Shilo sighed in relief,

"Marik." She smiled as she turned the channel to a kids show for her daughter to watch before setting down the remote. "I'm sorry if you called and I didn't pick up-"

"_Where are you?" _He asked with concern, "_I'll be on the next plane-"_

"No, don't. I'm ok, Marik, I'm at Kaiba's Penthouse. Marcella and I are fine." Shilo said as she walked back to the kitchen and began to rise off vegetables under the cold water of the sink.

"_Ok." _Marik said as he calmed down, "_Ryou said he went to the apartment a little bit ago and it was trashed. It must've been after everything- are you sure you're alright?"_

"I'm not hurt but I'm a bit...shaken." She responded as she began to chop up the necessary vegetables and put the product in a bowl, before cutting off the fat from the meat she was going to use. "It's just- He came into my house, Marik, and he didn't break down the door or break in a window. He unlocked the door and just came right in." Shilo explained as she put the meat in a bowl before scrapping the fat and the leftover pieces into the trash. "I have a key I used to get inside, Kaiba has a master key for it just in case, Ryou has a spare key, and then you and Agard have spare keys but you're overseas. I'm irked that this guy got into my place and there's no way he should have been able to."

"_Maybe he picked the lock? But if he got in so easily then he might have taken someone's key and replicated it." _Marik observed and Shilo nodded,

"Maybe- but he picked the lock for the bathroom door where Marci and I were." Shilo said as she washed her hands a third time before beginning to massage the seasoning into the meat she was using. "He didn't come into the bathroom, he just opened the door wide and stared at me." She told Marik, pausing to recount the sharp gaze of the mysterious man. "Anyways, Kaiba told me that I'm staying in his penthouse until this blows over."

"_Oh my Ra, he totally tricked you into moving in with him and you totally fell for it." _Marik said girlishly on the end of the line, making Shilo blush at the too-long running joke. "_Next, he's going to tell you you'll have to stay a month or something because he's changing the locks to your house. Then he'll put a ring on it to "ward off unprofessional attention". Maybe he'll just skip to the ring and the "wedding scene for a show'' he runs that includes him." _Shilo blushed harder,

"Stop looking into it so much, Marik, there's a lot of other girls-" Shilo said, trailing off before putting the meat into the canola-oil wet wok, "I-In any case, there's no way. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now…" She said, hearing something that made her look at the television to see a reporter on the news, before she went to the living room to watch the television, "There's some news report on tv, hold on, Marik." Shilo said and put the phone on her shoulder as she watched the newscaster talk about the topic seriously,

"-As for other news, today in Alexandria, Egypt, a mysterious tomb was uncovered- one we've seen before. The _Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh _has been rediscovered and the Millenium Items were finally and fully retrieved from the ruin of the collapsed tomb, which was lost during a small-scale earthquake 5 years ago." The Newscaster reported and Shilo's jaw dropped, "However, the mysterious 'Millennium Items' were stolen from the researcher who recovered them earlier this evening and are still missing. Thank you for watching the news, This is-" Shilo put the phone to her ear,

"Marik- they just put up a news report about Atemu's Tomb being rediscovered- and the Millennium Items-" Shilo said and there was silence on the other end, "Is this true?"

"_Well- yes and no." _Marik answered, "_Some grave robbers finally got into the ruins and thought their 15-minutes was more fortunous than the items they pulled up. The Items were supposedly found but there's no base to anything. It's just a rumor." _Marik told her and Shilo went back to the kitchen to finish cooking. After a long silence he concluded, "_There's no way he could come back. It's just a tabloid rumor." _

"Yeah...I know." Shilo said quietly as she looked over at her daughter, "But I just... I wonder how things would be if...Listen, I have to keep the line free for Kaiba to call so I'll call you tomorrow." With that, she hung up and put the phone down back on it's reciever. She sighed and tried not to think about it, but as she looked back at her daughter, her mind played tricks on her eyes. The child's father sitting next to her, relaxing and watching television silently before noticing her and looking at her. Shilo hesitated as the afterimage opened it's mouth before vanishing as the phone rang. She picked it up and answered it as she stirred the contents of the wok around, looking away, "Hello?"

"_I'm on my way back." _Kaiba's voice said and Shilo nodded,

"Ok. I hope you don't mind but I'm using your kitchen to cook. Marci and I haven't eaten dinner." Shilo said and there was a scoff on the other end.

"_Fine. I'll be there soon." _ He hung up and she turned the phone off, setting it on the receiver and continued to cook even as Kaiba came into the penthouse. "You alright over there, girl?" Kaiba asked Marci who looked over and nodded before he walked over to Shilo as she started to put the food on plates, "What about you, Shilo?"

"I'm still a bit shaken, but I'm good." She confirmed, pulling her robe closed again as he set a bag on the counter. "Did you get him?"

"No, he disappeared." Kaiba answered as Shilo moved to the sink and rinsed off the dishes she used, putting them in the dishwasher as Kaiba spoke, "He got in with a key, but he left it behind and jumped out your bedroom window. Nailed the landing, apparently, and took off right afterwards." Kaiba paused to seat a bit of the meat from the dish before continuing, "The window next to get replaced completely and I'll go ahead and and change the handles and locks. Your car is getting replaced too." He said nonchalantly and she looked at him, "The engine is done, and it would be easier to replace the car than buy an engine."

"Oh- Then I'll go ahead and buy it." Shilo said as she picked up the plates and Kaiba interjected,

"I've taken care of it already." Kaiba said simply and she sighed, leaving a plate behind for him as she carried her and her daughter's plates to the couch and sat down next to her. "Whose this for?"

"You." Shilo said, eating the meal alongside her daughter. Kaiba grabbed the plate and sat down on the other side of Marci, crossing his legs as he ate.

However, elsewhere, the plinking of shards of glass dropping into a sink broke a thick silence. The mysterious man pulled out the shards with expert dexterity and dropped them with the others in the growing pile in the basin of the sink. The black nail-polished fingers plucked the last shard from the flesh and held it before the man's sharp eyes before turning it this way and that. It too, was dropped into the pile of glass before he went over to the shower stall and turned on the hot water. The spout hissed and groaned before letting out any water and the figure turned from the shower.

As they carelessly tossed their clothes to the floor, they held their pants and rummaged through the pocket of them before producing a worn picture. He tossed the pants aside and lifted the picture up to eye-level. As the mirror slowly fogged up, he propped the picture up on the mirror's corner as gently as possible before stepping into the shower and sighed contently. He ran his hands through his long hair and the dark brown color slid out from it and down his back before swirling down the drain. He lathered his body and hair robotically as her voice played over and over in his head as if on a loop.

"_Don't worry, I'm here." "No one's going to hurt you." "I'm here. Don't Worry."_

Over and over again, the words jumbled up but her voice was the same. Hauntingly familiar and calming. He rested his head against the wall and let the mental onslaught continue in his ears and brain. With a more determined air, he pulled from the spray of the water and ran semi-permanent dye through his hair to replace the brown color he'd lost when the water came on. And to strengthen his resolve, the image of Kaiba helping her into his fancy black sedan appeared and he gave his famously arrogant smirk. The man clenched his teeth in anger and crushed the bottle in his hand as if the action was done unto Kaiba himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Infinite Dawn

Chapter 3

The soft sound of panting filled the room as the television sat in the background, rolling in it's doldrum manner on the news- before something caught his attention. "_CEO of Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba, has announced that, in addition to the opening of his new Dueling Club, Heroxross, there will be a performance of song by Shilo Rikazawa-" _The man dropped down from the thick iron pipe he's been doing pull-up from, and turned up the volume on the television as he watched, a picture of the woman smiling showed to the right of the reporter. "_-to commemorate the event at it's grand and exclusive after party as well as to give light to the launch of a new formal dress line that Kaiba Corp. sponsors. Shilo Rikazawa is, rumored, to be appearing in one of these dresses that are of her and Kaiba's own design." _

The man wrote down the location of the club on a scrap piece of paper before the newscaster continued on, "_But one question has been on everyone's tongue- WHAT is Ms. Rikazawa going to sing? An inside-source reveals that to go with the theme of her costume, a song has already been picked and rehearsed, but will not go into anymore detail. With the last few perfumes and feminine launches by Kaiba Corp. a success for showing that even a woman with curves can rock a power-suit, what else does Seto Kaiba plan to dominate in the female world? We'll have the exclusive views tonight as we broadcast the performance live." _The man came back from a quick shower, pulling on his shirt before tugging on his gloves. With that, he pulled on his black duster and pulled the hood up before shoving his hands in the deep pockets as he left with a sly smile on his face.

"You want me to sing?" Shilo exclaimed.

"You've got a pretty good voice from what your brother says, and I _did_ pay for singing lessons. So yes. You'll be singing tonight at the club. It's a one time thing." Kaiba told her calmly as he filled out paperwork at his office. "You need to get your mind on something other than last night. Here." He said, passing her a large piece of paper. She took it as he explained, "That's the design of the dress. I don't have a picture of the wings-"

"What wings?" She asked and he looked up,

"Dragon wings." Kaiba answered and before she could protest he held up his pen, "It goes with the dress and theme, plus it's my club." He supplied as her phone rang, singing 'My Egyptian Lover' by Space Cowboy. "Don't answer that." Seto ordered but Shilo turned around and walked out of the room as she answered the phone call, "Hey!"

"_So?" _Marik's voice rang out teasingly on the other line as Shilo smiled and walked out of the office, shutting the door behind her, "_Did he come home and skip to the ring or just solidify you moving there?"_

"He's getting the locks changed and a new window put in my bedroom- and got me a new car I guess." Shilo said as she looked over the dress design, "He wants me in another Blue-Eyes White-Dragon Dress tonight...It's been 5 years, seriously."

"_At least he doesn't want you modeling lingerie. Be thankful he dresses you modestly." _Marik said before there was a long silence as she looked over the elegant and classy design of the dress, "_Shilo. It'll be 6 years in a couple months." _Marik voiced and she silently listened to the quiet reminder. "_Don't you think that maybe- It's time to look elsewhere?" _ She closed her eyes.

"I...I don't want to explain myself on how my daughter came to be by someone who doesn't even exist anymore. I mean- how do I even go about that? 'Hi, My name is Shilo, listen, I'm a single mom to a girl whose dad never existed.'...It doesn't sound like it will go over well." Shilo said and took a deep breath, "But I'll- I'll think about trying to when you get here."

"_I can live with that. I'll call you later." _Marik agreed and she smiled and waited until he hung up before tucking her phone away and going back into Kaiba's Office, stopping abruptly when she found Kaiba right behind the door.

"Kaiba?" Shilo asked and he looked away, "How long have you been here?" Kaiba didn't look at her as he answered vaguely,

"Since the call, I've been trying to leave and you're in the way." He said and brushed past her to go down the hall as Shilo scowled at his demeanor. "Shilo." She looked back at Kaiba who stood in the threshold of the elevator for his building, "What are you doing?"

"Wondering what you're doing." She said and he scoffed,

"I already told you. Leaving. Come on, woman, you're wasting time." Kaiba huffed and got into the elevator, Shilo having to move quickly to catch it just before it caught her skirt. "What do you think of the design?"

"It's nice, but- If I'm supposed to wear wings then instead of tall shoes, why not just go with some short heels to emphasise the dress?" Shilo offered, pointing to it and discussing the design with him even as they left the elevator and transversed to the black sedan, getting in. The driver adjusted their black shades over their eyes as Shilo shut her door and Kaiba barked out that they be taken to his next meeting and the driver nodded as he adjusted his rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Shilo before Kaiba rolled up the divider. The driver put his gloved hands on the wheel and smoothly pulled out.

And not a sound was heard from the actual driver who was tied up in the passenger's seat, squirming and gagged.

This went on for a couple hours, the driver never uttering a word and eventually the real driver just gave up until Seto and Shilo were dropped off at the club and Kaiba hissed, "Go and park then come in." To which they nodded and did so- but parked in a dark alley far away.

The man stepped out after killing the engine and took off his shades from his eyes and tossed them into the driver's seat. With a chuckle he took off the fancy suit jacket he "borrowed", tossing it over his shoulder with two fingers as he whistled, pulling out a switchblade from his pocket with his left hand. The man opened the passenger door and the driver let out a chorus of muffled words before the man tossed the jacket over the driver. He leaned down and cut the driver's bindings, putting his knife away and took the hat off. He smiled as he tossed the hat into the driver's lap and shut the door, walking off to the building while he pulled his coat back on. He moved his bangs from his face as his breath fogged in the cooling night air when he looked up at his "entrance" to the elusive party.

A bathroom window.

He landed defly on the tile and paused to look into the mirror. He had all his fake-piercings in and he scowled but reached up and pulled out the fake lip piercings and the fake ear piercings, tucking them away since they weren't much use now. He moved his hair with a hand sweep and left the bathroom. The flirty smiles and winks in his direction were noted by not acknowledged. He wasn't here for _them._

He was here for _her._

In the dark club he took note of a few duels taking place- and then noticed the camera reporter. But he stayed exactly where he was, leaning against the wall, waiting. At the center of the room was a platform with a spiral staircase around it that wound to the top. It was a permanent fixture so maybe it was thought that bands would play there- or there would be many appearances by that woman. He put his hands in his pockets and brushed his fingers against a camera and the worn picture in his other pocket before a hush fell over the crowd and a pale bluish-white light shone down on the end of the platform he couldn't see.

"_I know there's someone, somewhere." _Someone sang- a woman's voice- as the light slowly moved up as they moved up the staircase, "_Someone who's sure to find me, So~on."_

"_After the rain goes, there are rainbows~. I'll find my rainbow soon." _Shilo sang as she walked up the stairs, left foot first. It was important to remember that. The dress she wore was more of taffeta ballgown in a very pale blue with a sheer overskirt of shimmering white material. The wings on her back blended in seamlessly under the light, large but lightweight with shimmering material on certain parts to catch the light. With each step forward, the long chapel-length of the over skirt rose a step high but still trailed 4 5 steps behind her, while her dress trailed 2 steps behind her. Every single movement precise and every high-note she stopped to emphasise.

As her eyes scanned the room, they locked on to a pair of familiar purple eyes. The man from the night before leaned casually against a wall and smirked at her.

"_Soon it won't be just pretend. Soon a happy ending~!" _Shilo carried on effortlessly as she continued to ascend the staircase and stopped at the platform, her silvery hair pulled from her face and held at two points at the back of her head by two clips, the rest falling in a cascading waterfall of short and shimmering little curls. "_Love, can you hear me~? If you're near me~! Sing your song- sure and strong~!" _She sang, her voice _And soon~." _She sang, slowly letting the song fade and the applause filled the entire building, the spotlight failing to catch Seto Kaiba as he strode up the steps to stand next to Shilo as she clasped her hands at her waist and smiled,

"Our themed formal dresses, themed after the bigger and more popular Duel Monsters, will go on sale the 15th of next month." Kaiba informed everyone before the spotlight died down and he led her from the stairs. "Good performance." Kaiba said and she nodded, taking a drink of the juice he offered her before someone bumped into the both of them and she spilled it all over her dress,

"Oh god, the dress-" Shilo gasped, the figure smirking having caused the accident, and she tried to pat the stain,

"Stop-ugh, go change." Kaiba hissed and Shilo left to do so- the mysterious man following as the recently-released driver of Kaiba's car approached Kaiba. "Roland?" He asked before Roland explained everything to him and Kaiba looked around, before they hurried to the temporary dressing room outside where she had changed in the first place.

The mysterious male lingered outside, peering in through one of the gaps in the tarp walls as someone helped Shilo out of her dress, "He makes these so complicated, geez!" The other woman complained and Shilo gave her a tired smile,

"You can't really blame him, he doesn't wear any of it." Shilo answered as her phone rang. "Excuse me." She said before she hesitated, holding the phone as it rang. It sang 'Blood on the Dance Floor' by Michael Jackson. She took a deep breath and stood a little straighter as she answered it. "Hi Dad."

"_I hear there was a break-in at your home and they did not caught this man." _Her father said matter-of-factly in his gruff voice. She voice easily imagine the narrowing of his sharp gold eyes, "_Yet, I do not see you on my doorstep this day. If you do not have the safety of your home, then you have your family." _

"I'm currently at an event right now, Dad-" Shilo said as she tried to think of something to say, "Kaiba won't let me go back to my house until they catch the guy- how am I supposed to get clothes to fly over?"

"_You don't. You come over and I will do the rest, it's my duty as a Father to provide for my children." _He said simply and there was a long silence before he added, "_I've arranged a plane for you. It will pick you up in two days from your 'Domino City Airport'. You will board it with my granddaughter and you will come home and I shall send you back when _**I **_decide when everything has 'blown over'. Seto will understand or I shall explain it to him clearly." _Her father said, leaving little room for her to talk, "_I worry about you in that Kaiba's care."_

"I know you do, Dad." She said, the other woman leaving Shilo standing there in another more casual cocktail dress. Shilo turned and sat on a chair in the room, "Dad...Marik said that...since the Millenium items were destroyed that, you know..._He _can't come back, but someone supposedly found them- Do you think that there's a possibility of any of this repeating itself? And don't just tell me what I want to hear if you don't think so." She told him and her father was silent on the other line, giving her time to balance the phone and reach back to zip up the back of her dress.

"_Theoretically, if someone got their hands on that thing- what was it called again? 'The Millennium Rod'? If someone got their hands on it, it could happen if his spirit still resided there. But if it was found it's entirely possible he could return, in theory." _Her father answered and followed it up with, "_I would not think too much about it. It's not very possible, your 'Marik' told me they were destroyed. And we were all here when he vanished." _

"Yeah." Shilo said sadly, "Thanks, Dad...I'll...I'll see you soon." She told him and he grunted,

"_I look forward to it. Watch out for Kaiba, daughter. His arrogancy will try to overpower your commitment to our traditions." _Her father quipped before laughing as he hung up. She put the phone down and sighed, getting off the vanity and glancing up as she did so- freezing once more.

The mysterious figure that was in her house, had entered the tent from a rip he cut into the tarp-fabricated wall, holding the switchblade in his left hand. He flipped the blade down and tucked the knife away into his pocket before holding up both of his hands, palms to her. "What do you want?" She questioned uneasily as he stared at her, before slowly lowering his hands into his pocket and produced- a camera. "A picture?" He nodded, "I- I guess it's alright."

The man smirked under his mask and snapped a few pictures and she smiled before he stopped and tucked the camera away- but didn't move. Shilo stared at him before asking, "You don't mean to hurt me?" She questioned curiously and the man quirked an eyebrow at her question, then shook his head in a 'no' fashion. Shilo relaxed and he stood there, watching her, silent as a grave. "Do you have a name?" She asked and he shook his head again. "How can you not have a name?"

As she said that, an armed force of police officers rushed into the tent and she backed up as they surrounded the man. "Freeze! Put your hands in the air!" "Hands up!" The silent man's eyes never left hers as he slowly raised his hands, before an officer grabbed his hands and cuffed them behind his back. The man was led out of the tent before Seto came in and strode over to Shilo.

"That man knocked out Roland and was driving us around all day. He released him just before your performance and slipped in the building somehow." Kaiba said with disgust and Shilo tried to feel just as mad- but she didn't. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"He took a couple pictures of me, but they were harmless." Shilo explained and Kaiba nodded, "What are they going to do?" Kaiba gave her a scowl but then answered her,

"Lock him up and charge him with breaking and entering probably. I gave them our phone numbers already just incase." He said and looked at her suspiciously, "What does it matter?"

"I was just wondering." Shilo said quietly, and left the tent to watch the police put the man in a patrol car. He looked over and stared at something past her before the car was driven away and Shilo looked back at Kaiba who had been standing not too far behind her. "I…" Shilo said, taking a deep breath, "I need to see my daughter." She said quietly. The day was a mess, the whole week had been atrocious and she just- she needed to cuddle Marcella.

She just need to get away from Seto, from the world, and just video chat with Marik as she cuddled with Marci.

Shilo knocked on Ryou's door again and he opened, frowning, "Are you alright? Marik told me someone broke into your place-" Ryou started, moving aside for her to enter and she gladly did so as he shut the door behind her, "-and then he told me you're staying with Seto?"

"My brothers haven't gotten back to town yet, and you know how Kaiba gets." Shilo gave an exasperated sigh as she sat on the couch with Marci. "Marik thinks Seto's going to ask me out or something amid all of this- this chaos." Ryou sat on the couch and listened, "And he sent that guy to jail an hour ago- he didn't touch me and Kaiba's just going to lock him up forever."

"I don't doubt it, he's reportedly poured millions into 'making' you." Ryou said and smiled at her, "You two have a pretty good work-relationship. And he's grown up in 5 years. Maybe a date wouldn't hurt." Ryou said and she frowned at him, "If he asked, don't you think accepting would be the right thing to do after how much he's helped you out?" Shilo cuddled her daughter in response and Marci cuddled back,

"Mommy?" Marci asked and Shilo smiled tiredly at her, "When Mister Kaiba took me to school today, he said he was going to try and 'Get in' with you. What's that mean?" Shilo forced a wide smile as she looked at Ryou who looked back at her, horrified.

"You're right, Seto's a bad influence. You explain and I'll call Marik about this." Ryou said, getting up and running off as Shilo looked at Marci,

"Marci- Kaiba meant that he wants to get on my good side." Shilo explained and Marcella looked at her,

"Does Mister Kaiba want to take you on a 'date'?" Marci asked and Shilo thought about it,

"I don't know about that part, honey." Shilo admitted and Marci pulled on her mom's hair lightly,

"Don't do it, mommy." Marci said and Ryou stopped talking on the phone, "I don't like Mister Kaiba. Don't go on dates with him! And-And I will tell him I want my mommy back!" Marci said, surprisingly firm on the situation that Ryou and Shilo were surprised himselfs. But Shilo smiled,

"Ok, Marci, I promise." Shilo said, '_Geez, she's so much like him it's almost unreal'. _She thought, loosening her hold on her daughter and brushed a hand through her hair. "Your Granddad wants to see us in a few days. How about we take a little trip to go and visit him?" She offered quietly and Marci's lavender eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

"You mean, like, run away?" She asked quietly and her mother nodded, "Ok!" Shilo smiled and hugged her daughter as she sighed in relief. It always seemed like Marcella drove away all of the stress she ever had.

However, at Seto Kaiba's residence, he'd just gotten an email of the pictures taken of the 'mysterious man' from his officer on payroll. He had an ID on him that read 'Jubal Nezueli', but the report that he also had faxed to him stated that he did not react to the name in any sort. Then assumed it was a fake name of some sort as Seto poured himself a cup of bourbon and sat before the computer, sipping it idly as he looked over the report. The man was oddly familiar and as Seto scrutinized over the photo he noticed a few things.

There was some discoloration in the man's hair as well as some places on his skin where Kaiba had punched him. And not from bruises- he didn't seem to have a single bruise on him. It looked as if his skin was a different color underneath.

"Computer, filter out all tanning dyes and products from the picture." Seto ordered and the computer did so. The man resulted in having a lighter up strongly tan complexion. "Now filter out any hair dyeing chemicals and products known." As the color was removed layer by layer from the man's hair, to was taken back. "Th-That's impossible!" He coughed after downing his liquor and poured himself more. "Computer, destroy the image and the documents and any record of these alterations." The computer did as it was told as Seto gripped the glass while he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the police officer he had on payroll and sighed as the man answered, "It's Kaiba. Listen, that burglar? Yeah, hold him as long as you can just- just fabricate evidence or something to keep him there."


	4. Chapter 4

Infinite Dawn

Chapter 4

The light flashed on suddenly and the man groaned, closing his eye closest to it before his lavender eyes adjusted to the light. Kaiba sat across from him, "You need to tell me everything." Kaiba instructed and the man just sat there stoically, watching him silently. "You gave a fake name to the police. You know that's against the law, right?" Kaiba asked and the man shrugged it off. "Tell me- how you got here." The man looked at Kaiba in the eyes and tapped his throat, then waved a dismissive hand.

"Mr. Kaiba, he doesn't seem to have the ability to speak." The Officer said and Kaiba scoffed, pushing him pad and a pen to write with.

"Then write it out clearly." Kaiba said and the man wrote it down, holding up the pad of paper.

'_I drank coffee too fast and burned my throat.'_ He wrote then added something else and held up the pad to Kaiba, '_I got here on an airplane from Egypt. The name I gave to the police will have to suffice.'_ Kaiba clenched his teeth,

"Do you know who I am? Write in a more respectful manner to me." Kaiba ordered before looking him in the eyes, "Why did you break in to Shilo Rikazawa's home?" The man shook his head and wrote something down before showing the pad again.

'_You can't break into a house if you have a key to it, right, "Mr. Kaiba"?'_

"So, you're wonderin' if he's back because of everythin' 'nd if you should really go on with your life?" Agard asked, his red hair tied back in a ponytail as he and Shilo cleaned up the card shop, dusting the shelves from the dust they had collected. Shilo looked back, her long braid of hair clipped up at the back of her head, at her older brother,

"Exactly. Ryou and Marik want me to try dating again, but they're on the fence about it being with Kaiba. They tease me about it, but I don't think they're serious about it." Shilo said, wiping a shelf down with a damp rag, "And Papa wants me to go back tomorrow. He doesn't want Kaiba to get any 'ideas' during all of this."

"That's Dad, alright, but both sides are right." Agard said and his sister paused to look at him as he set a box of the cash register counter before looking at her. "But Kaiba doesn't do the right things to court you, he just seems to be slowly workin' towards it- but not 'n the right way. If he's not courting you, then you don't need to worry about it. But Dad won't let it happen 'cause he knows Kaiba isn't a match for you." Agard said as he opened his cigarette case calmly and plucked one out of it, "But it all rests on you- 'cause I don't think Malik would want you to move on. He'd want you to focus on Marci and yourself. He was selfish like that." Her brother finished and put the cigarette in his mouth as Shilo looked away, "But Shilo- you need to do what your HEART tells you. Go and see Dad, ya, get some fresh air 'nd come back with a decision or somethin' to stall. Whatever works." He said and walked out of the store, flicking out his zippo lighter and lighting his cigarette with the alert red flame it make with a flick of his thumb. Agard let out a cloud of smoke then glanced back at his sister as she stood there a long moment, her hand reaching up and brushing the tattoo on the back of her neck that she had gotten 4 years ago. A year after he had vanished.

It was an ankh, and around it, were the words 'Immortality lasts as long as the memory does'.

Agard had put the needle to her and she was silent as he inked her skin forever. He looked away as he took another long drag and exhaled it after a few seemingly longer seconds. Kaiba was strong politically- but he wasn't the type of strength that his sister needed. All of her siblings and their father knew that. "Uncle." He glanced down and his niece Marci looked up at him, "What are you doing?"

"Thinking about your mama." Agard said, watching her as he blew the smoke towards the sky, then nodded his head towards the store. "Run along now, kid. This ain't nothin' for you." Marci nodded and pushed open the door before running to her mother as Agard watched. Shilo picked the girl up effortlessly and handed her the rag, letting her clean some of the shelves as Shilo held her, smiling. Agard smirked and looked away, noticing a black sedan coming down the street. "Fucking Kaiba." He grunted, poking his head into the store, "Hey, Kaiba's here!" Shilo and Marci looked over before disappearing into the back as the sedan stopped before the store and Kaiba got out,

"Oh, you're back." Kaiba said in a disgusted tone, but collected himself, "Is your sister here?"

"No." Agard said calmly before he took another drag and blew the smoke in the CEO's face, "Just got back. Haven't seen 'er." Kaiba coughed and waved off the smoke as Agard tossed the cigarette down before the door and stepped on it. He ground it down to nothing under his boot while he pushed his hands into his pockets, "Have a nice one, Kaiba." He said curtly as he entered the store, Kaiba following,

"She won't answer me." Kaiba said as Agard walked to the box at the counter and pulled out a knife from his camo-combat pants. He flipped the blade open and sliced the tape holding the box shut, "This happens every time you and your brothers come back- 5 years of this!"

"Ya. So?" Agard said, "I ain't my sister's keeper. She's a woman 'nd they don't tend to listen." He said simply, opening the box and pulled out the stands for the next booster packs. "Anythin' else I can interest you 'n?" The man asked and glanced back at him, Kaiba frowning, "What do you want, Kaiba?"

"She's here. Give her up." Kaiba said assertively and Agard turned on him, smirking,

"So you thinkin' she's yours 'cause you stood up for her when that guy came into her apartment?" Agard questioned him as he pulled out the new packs and put them on the stand, "This ain't the Feudal Era, Kaiba."

"I intend to-" Kaiba said and Agard snapped,

"Enough." Agard growled and Kaiba stood his ground defiantly, "Ain't no one in my family want to heard anythin' from you, BOY." Kaiba scowled as Agard continued to calmly pull out the contents of the package before he added, "If she wanted to be hearin' from you, she'd answer you, but I wouldn't hold your breath until she said somethin'. Run along." Kaiba snapped,

"If you see her, tell her I need to talk to her!" Kaiba said before he left angrily and slammed the door behind him as Agard sighed while Shilo and Marci came out of the back room when the sedan sped off.

"He keeps thinkin' he can stand up to me and I'll give 'im what he wants. What a kid." Agard said as Shilo put a hand on his arm, her brother looking at her, "Stay as long as you want, Sis. You can keep the kid here too, if you want." Agard said and Marci huffed before her uncle looked at her, "I'm kidding, squirt, we all love you."

"You better 'get in' with me, Uncle Auggie, or else I'll be mad!" MArci responded and Agard looked at Shilo, bewildered as he pointed at the child.

"THAT." Shilo said before smiling, "was Kaiba's doing. He told her when he dropped her off at preschool he wanted to 'get in' with me." Agard looked at his niece before he knelt down produced a lollipop from his shirt pocket and Marci marveled at it.

"Marci, I'm going to give you this lolli' if you promise me to give 'Mister Kaiba' a message for me when you see him next." Agard said, whispering something in her ear, before Marci took the lollipop,

"I promise, Uncle Auggie! Thank you for the lollipop." Marci said before running off to enjoy it as Agard stood back up, Shilo looking at his suspiciously,

"What did you tell her?" Shilo asked and Agard smirked mischievously, "Agard."

"Told her to tell Kaiba how she really feels about 'im." Agard laughed and Shilo frowned as he tapped the back of his neck, "You want me to add on to it?" She reached up and covered it shyly, "Hm. Another time then. Aren't you forgettin' somethin', Lil' Sis?" He asked and she looked at him questioningly, "Ya' kno- that guy Kaiba threw 'n jail. Askin' him questions?" Shilo gasped as she realized it and Agard pulled out his phone, "I'll call Heln and we'll watch Marci."

"Thanks, Agard, I'm sorry-" Shilo said, grabbing her jacket, "I'll get you guys back."

"Ya, don't worry about it." Agard said, tossing her his motorcycle keys as she opened the door. She whipped around and caught them before she left as Agard held up the phone to his ear, "Kaiba? Heln said Shilo just walked into his nightclub. Thought I'd pass it on to you. Hn- yeah, she's there. How long ago? Just got the call after you left. Ya." Agard hung up and chuckled, smirking as he picked up the shipping box, "Good luck with that, Kaiba, heh. Idiot."

"You want to drop the charges?" The officers exclaimed as Shilo smiled, "You can but- um- why?" He asked, the lavender-eyed man lifted his head from his palm and looked out of the bars of the cell he sat in.

"Well, I don't know what Seto said," Shilo started as she tilted her head to the side and turned her eyes up thoughtfully, "But every time I recall the man being around me, I don't seem to recall him ever physically touching me or threatening me. You have him in for burglary, but he didn't take anything." The Officer hesitated,

"Mr. Kaiba said he took some unauthorized photos-" The man said and Shilo frowned,

"I told him that he could take them. If you look at them, I even smiled. If they were nonconsensual photos I wouldn't be so kind as to smile for the photographer." Shilo explained, "Granted, he broke some of my things and jumped out my bedroom window, but that was in self-defense. And it's been longer than 24-hours, without any evidence you can't hold him."

The officers begrudgingly signed him out and released him into Shilo's custody and she walked him out of the station. "I'm sorry about all of that- but you did scare me quite a bit." The man frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Just, uh- Don't do something like that again." He nodded as she walked over to the green and black motorcycle that she had parked on the street curb. She sat down on it and picked up the matching black and green helmet, tucking her hair into it before she pulled it on properly. The man pulled out a piece of paper he had ripped off of the pad from the counter where he picked up his things, glancing at it before looking at her as she started up the motorcycle. He reached over and slipped it into one of her boots, quickly pulling away when she looked at him, "You should probably disappear for a few weeks." She suggested before he put his hands in his coat pockets and nodded. Shilo looked both ways on the street before pulling off the curb and driving off, leaving him there.

This was a normal thing Shilo did- a small way to rebel against Kaiba. Once she started working for him, Kaiba began to push any one he didn't like into jail for any reason at all. Usually just nonsense ones but still- Shilo always bailed them out. It was like a game but she wondered why she let that man out. He had scared her really bad at first but he didn't outwardly look bad. He was simply- intimidatingly scary. once she got past that fact and logic set in, he wasn't scary at all- just some guy who liked to dress in black. '_Maybe I should have asked his name or something...'_ She thought as she slowed down at a stop light and put her foot down on the asphalt to steady herself. Her gaze wandered to her left to the corner where her brother's club was- and Kaiba's black sedan. '_What's Kaiba doing there?' _She wondered and when the light turned green, she rounded the corner and entered the parking lot, rolling to a stop next to the black sedan.

"You and your brother need to stop running your mouths to me already." Kaiba huffed and Heln stood at the doors, arms crossed over his chest, his orange hair in a layered mess about his shoulders and back.

"Excuse me, I'm not the one walking around in those ridiculous boots. They're so 2011! You need to update your wardrobe, Kaiba, and update your info while you're at it." Heln said before flipping his hair over his shoulder with a smirk, "The last time I checked, the land and the buildings my siblings and I run our businesses on, is owned by my Father's company. We're out of your jurisdiction." Kaiba groaned and Heln blinked, looking over at Shilo, "Oh- I thought you were at your shop-" Heln started before he twitched, realizing his mistake and Kaiba whipped around.

"Shilo!" He snapped and Shilo frowned behind the reflective visor of the helmet, "We need to talk-" Instead, Shilo drove out of the parking lot and back onto the street. Kaiba quickly got back into his car as she turned down the street to her brother's game shop and sped down it, weaving in and out through the cars. She slowed down and pulled into an alley before turning into the back alley behind her brother's card shop, turning off and dismounting the motorcycle as her brother came out. She tossed him the keys,

"How'd that whole thin' with that guy go?" Agard asked as he caught the keys, tucking them away as she took off the helmet, getting it on the handlebar.

"I let him go." She said, her phone vibrating in her back pocket, "Hang on." She murmured, answering it as she leaned down and pulled a piece of paper from her boot, "Hi, Kaiba."

"_Quit avoiding me!" _Kaiba yelled as Shilo opened the piece of paper to find a phone number written on it. "_Your brothers have been screwing around with me for the last hour and you've been ignoring me since yesterday. I want an explanation about this- NOW!" _Shilo sighed and rolled her eyes,

"I was just trying to get some time to myself." Shilo told him, "So I've been trying to relax by spending time with my brothers-" She looked at Agard who mouthed 'you left before', "I left before you got there- they've been busy and can't talk on the phone so I thought visiting them would help me clear my head." Agard snickered, "I'm sorry, Kaiba, I should have said something." She said as she pushed the speakerphone button.

"_Let me know if you need something like that instead of just ignoring me all day and night!" _Kaiba's voice rang out clearly, Agard smiling playfully, "_So...the perfume sales took off since yesterday and the cosmetics have been flying off the shelves and...I was thinking that, to celebrate, we go out to dinner somewhere nice." _Agard's jaw dropped at Kaiba's words and Kaiba followed it up with, "_Eating your cooking for the past week- I don't dislike it but I think a night out is required here more than another horrendous night in." _

"I think Marci would like that, thank you Kaiba." Shilo said, her brother lighting up a cigarette as he stink-eyed the phone.

"_What? Oh, yeah- I'm looking forward to the three of us...having dinner. You're coming back to the penthouse before hand, right?" _ Kaiba said, asking the question but made it sound more like a statement.

"Yes, Marci and I will come back. After all, my clothes are there anyways." Shilo said and Agard rolled his eyes.

"_That's good to hear. I will see you then." _With that, he hung up and the call ended, Agard flicking the ashes of his cigarette.

"What a tsundere guy." Agard groaned, "He can't even ask you out properly."

"Well, Malik didn't propose to me properly." Shilo reminded him and Agard took another puff of his cigarette, twirling his lighter.

"Ya, but at least he knew when to make a move. What's that paper you got there?" Agard asked and Shilo looked at it, "Ooooh~ looks like a phone number. Quick, call Kaiba and tell 'im you got a date. I wanna hear 'im yell." Shilo blushed, "Tell 'im you've been putting 'im off 'cause he's not hot enough for you, Lil Sis! I wanna see the look on 'is face!" Agard laughed before Shilo's hand flicked out and grabbed his cigarette from his mouth. As Agard blinked while she held it, she crushed it all in her palm and let the ashes and pieces fall to the ground, "H-Hey!"

"Smoking is bad for you, bro." She told him and flicked the crumpled filter at his forehead, "Don't you have work to do?"

"Don't you have some hot guy to text? Do it- text 'im." Agard teased as Shilo went back into the shop with Agard at her heels.

"Geez, I'm too old for stuff like that, Agard." Shilo said, blushing, "Besides- there's Marci to watch and work and my college classes-"

"College classes?" Agard murmured, "Wait- you said you wouldn't-" Shilo pulled a letter out of her shirt dramatically as Marci came down the steps and Agard yelled, "OH MY GOD! You got in!?"

"Yeah. Ryou went to my house yesterday on his way to pick up Marcella." Shilo said, "I got accepted to my top choice...with a full-ride scholarship thanks to those tournaments I did overseas." She said confidently, "Come on, honey, let's go back to Kaiba's penthouse. Kaiba is taking us out to dinner." Agard leaned on the counter, watching as they left before he sighed,

"What an active life Sis lives." He muttered as someone came into his shop, "Oh- Welcome." The man stopped at the counter, "Can I help you?"

"I'd...like to work here." They said and Agard raised an eyebrow.

"Ya? Reckon I could hire some seasonal help since it's November in a coupla' weeks. Ya got a resume or anythin'?" Agard asked and they shook their head 'no'. "New to the city then?" They nodded, "Well, let's write down ya info and put ya to work. That your natural hair color?" They looked at their hair before shaking their head, "Looks bad on ya, maybe ya should think 'bout changin' it another color." They nodded and followed Agard into the backroom.


End file.
